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Being Isaac: StephenWhoElse “Cracked Pots”

Editor’s Note: Our weekly guest spot is our effort to help our reading community connect with each other. “Being Isaac” is in response to our growing number of male readers. We think it’s important that there’s a male reply to our female’s call to live in passionate pursuit of Christ. Thanks StephenWhoElse for submitting another great post reflecting on how it is HIM and not US.

I just concluded 4 days at my church’s annual Vacation Bible Camp for children. During one of the sessions, the children were asked a simple question – “What is preventing you from being used by God?”

The answers were varied but typically along the lines of “I am afraid of being laughed at”, “I am afraid of being scolded.”, “I do not know how to”. Clearly there is a lack of confidence in the children – a lack of confidence in themselves. I suspect that if I were to pose the same question to a group of adults I will get similar answers too.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

Let’s be clear – we should be confident in the ability of our loving Father God instead of having a lack of confidence in our abilities.

Paul reminds us that the Light of God has been placed in our hearts and now we can shine with confidence because it is not our light, but His.

Yes, we do have our faults, we make mistakes. During the camp, the worship team occasionally missed a few notes, forgot some words and messed up the actions. During the teaching sessions, I messed up my notes and the game I planned turned a little chaotic. Some of us got tshirts with the wrong size! Nothing done by human hands will be perfect. But that’s not the point.

We are fragile clay jars, cracked and chipped even though we contain the great treasure of the Light of God. But it’s precisely because we are cracked that the light can be seen through the cracks. God designed us with cracks so that His grace can be seen- so that we cannot boast of our abilities.

Friends, do not fret about your “imperfections” or lack of abilities. We are designed by God for His purpose and to do His work. Each one of us are designed for a special role that nobody else in this world of 7 billion people can do. If you shy away from carrying out what you are called to do – someone out there will miss out on hearing that special message you were meant to say to them. Someone out there will miss out on the interaction they were supposed to have with you.

And you will miss out on the opportunity to transform a life because you were not there when you were supposed to.